Evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) is a point-to-multipoint interface specification for existing and future 3GPP cellular networks. The eMBMS provides an efficient broadcast delivery to a potentially large number of users; the efficiency consisting e.g. in efficient resource use. The eMBMS may also provide unicast services, such as on-request content (also known as on-demand content). The eMBMS is thus used for broadcasting live streaming and also on-request content to multiple users, particularly in highly dense areas in order for efficient usage of radio frequency resources.
There is a general desire to reduce delays in communication, and users of today expect to receive requested content as soon as they request it, i.e. with as low delay as possible. There are several sources of delay on the way from a provider of data services, e.g. multi-media services such as pictures, sound, video etc., down to the end user. There are for instance queuing delays at gateways, processing delays in intermediate nodes, delays relating to congestion in the communication network and delays relating to capacity of wireless links.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,609,223 B1 relates to live streaming applications and addresses a difficulty of minimizing delays occurring in such applications, wherein data of a data stream should be processed and transmitted at it arrives. In particular, from a delay point of view it is, in such applications, difficult to implement retransmission of missed data.
The operator of a cellular communication network is providing an increasing number of services, the MBMS being one example. The operator therefore needs to invest in an increasing number of various related hardware and software to support all these services, which entails increasing costs for the operator.